Latching device



Aus. 31, 1948. G. E. CURTISS, JR 2,448,083

LATCHING DEVICE Filed Feb. 26; 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l` G. E. CURTISS, JR

Aug. 3l, 1948.

LATCHING DEVICE sheets-sheet 2l Filed Feb. 26, 1944 Peteoted Aug. 31, 1948 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims. (Cl. 22R-332) This invention relates to latches of the type commonly used on refrigerator doors.

'More particularly, the invention relates to latches ofthe novel type disclosed in the copending applications of George E. Curtiss, Jr., Serial No. 507,839, illed October 27, 1943 and Serial No. 515,570, filed December 24, 1943; that is, latch mechanisms in which a progressively increasing latching force is exerted as the fully latched position is approached, with the maximum available force being applied at the time when the vbolt member is fully hom-e" and the door is completely closed. AAs set forth in said ca -pending applications, such mechanisms result in'` an unusually high degree of draw-in," coupled with the absolute prevention of rebound.

One of the important objects of the invention is the provision of a latch mechanism designed to progressively amplify the main source of latching poweras the home" position is approached, to produce a forcible draw-in of the door to its fully closed position.

IAnother important object of the invention is to provide a latch mechanism which will positively hold a door against rebound to an open position after being. swung closed.-

A further. object of the invention is to provide a self-cooking latch mechanism characterized by simplicity of construction, ease of operation and prompt actuation to the latched condition after being uncooked.

A still further object is to provide a latch mechanism of sturdy, compact and inexpensive construction, and which may readily be concealed Fig. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scaletaken on the horizontal plane indicated by lin-e, 2 2, Fig. 1, the mechanism being shown in latched condition;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the mechanism in its cocked or unlatched condition;

and

Fig. 4 is a of Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings, numeral I designates a domestic type refrigerator comprising cabinet 2 and door 3, the latter having an inner panel 4 and outer panel 5 joined about their peripheries at 6 as by screws l which serve also to fasten the customary resilient sealing gasket 8 to the door at that juncture. f A suitable door handle 9, which may be of standard design, is pivotally mounted by means of a -pin IIIY in lugs I I of a substantially ilat memsectional view taken along line 4-4 ber I2 secured to the exterior of the outer panel 5 of the door by screws or the like I3, said member being provided with outwardly turned lugs I4 ,which serve to secure a circular face plate I5 shaped support or housing I8 comprising a bottom wall IIll and a pair of parallel side walls 20, 20 havng at the forward ends thereof outwardly turned ilange portions 2| terminating at their upper ends in ear portions 22 turned outwardly atl right angles. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, screw 'I also passes through ear portion 22 to secure the forward end of housing I8 to the door 3. The right or rearward end of housing I8 is fas- .tened through its bottom wall I9 to the inside of the outer door panel 5 by the same screw I3 which secures flat member I2 to the outside` of said panel 5.

Pivotally mounted on a pair of trunnions 24, 24, secured to side Walls 20, 20 of housing I8 is a pair of links 25, 25 one of which has an ear portion 26 to which is pivotally connected one end 21 of a rod 28 having its other end formed with an elongated loop 29 which provides a slot 30 for reception of a pin 3| on handle 9. This pin is oiset from pivot I0 of the handle, and with slot 30 provides a lost motion connection between the handle and rod. The handle is normally urged in a counter-clockwise direction, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3, to a position in proximity to the outer panel 5 of door 3 by a spring pressed pin 32 located on theopposite side of pivot pin IIl from pin 3|.

Pivoted to the free ends 33 of links 25 by a pin 34 is one end of a latching member or bolt 35. This member preferably comprises a pair of spaced arms 35, 36 which, as seen in Figs. 2 and 4, extend between trunnions 24, 24 and rotatably mountedon theother end 3l of the member between the ends of arms 36, 36 is a self-lubricating cylinder or roller 38 which provides substantially frictionless engagement of said bolt 35 with the surface of keeper I1.

A pin 39 having its ends secured in side walls 29, 20 of housing I8 passes through an arcuate slot 40'formed in the bolt arms 35, 36. Slot 43 is eccentric to the point of pivotal connection of latching member 35 to link 25 at pin 34 and is formed in a path such that rotation of link 25 about the pivot 24 in a counter-clockwise direction will guidingly move the latching member as 3 l a whole from behind keeper I 1 into the projected unlatched position indicated by broken lines on Fig, 2 and in a path substantially as indicated by line 4 I Also pivotally attached to pin 34 between bolt arms 35, 38 is a rearwardly extending link 42 having its rearward end slotted as at 43 to receive therethrough a pivot pin 44 which serves to guidingly support link 42 above the bottom wall I9 of housing I8. Surrounding the link and carried thereby is a coil spring 45 having its ends seated upon slotted washers 46 and 41 through which the link passes, the rearward end of spring 45 being anchored against pin 44 while the forward end bears against a pair oi abutments 48, 48 on link 42, disposed closely adjacent pivot pin 34 and, in effect, pressed directly against the free end 33 of link 25.

As best illustrated in Fig. 4, therbolt arms have oifset portions 50, 50 adapted to bear against extending portions 5I, 5I of side walls 20, 28 to i trunnions 24, 24, and roller 38 are.in a straight provide lateral support for the arms during their movement to and from latching position.

The operation of the device is as follows: As viewed in Fig. 2, roller 38 oi latching member 35 is in latched position behind keeper I1. When it is desired to open the door, handle 9 is grasped and rotated in a clockwise direction about its pivot III. This movement carries pin 3| also in a clockwise direction about pivot I0 which draws rod 28 downwardly and thereby rotates link 25 in a counter-clockwise direction about pivot 24.

Rotation of the link, as described; moves the latching member 35 bodily upwardly and in the path substantially as indicated by line 4I, to an extent withdrawing roller 38 from behind keeper I'I, thereby permitting the door to be swung open. 'I'his movement of latching member 35 continues until the lower end of arcuate slot 40 contacts pin 33, at which position, as indicated in Fig. 3, the free end 33 of link 25 has moved to or, preferably, slightly past a position of dead center with respect to link and to the thrust of spring 45, and in which position the spring is compressed and its thrust directed against and restrained by the fixed trunnions 24, 24 and fixed pin 38 to hold the bolt in said position. As illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the dead center position occurs when the straight line between the axes of pins 34 and 44 corresponds to or parallels line 55 intersecting the axes of pins 24 and 44. Slot in rod 28 allows handle 9 to resume its normal position on the door under the urge of the spring pressed pin 32 while the latch mechanism remains in its retracted and cocked position.

To close and latch the door, the latter is merely swung toward closed position until roller 38 strikes abutment I1a which causes bolt arms 36, 36 to move downwardly to shift the free end 33 of link 25 back past the aforesaid dead center position so that the thrust of spring 45 may operate to urge the mechanism towards latched position. At the instant the free end of the link passes the line of dead center between the thrust of the spring and the pivotal axis 24 of the link, it is urged by the pressure of the spring to move in a clockwise direction toward its latched condition as illustrated in Fig. 2. This movement causes the latching member to move bodily in a downward direction and, under the guidance of slot 40, roller 38 moves into contact with the keeper prior to completion of the link movement so that continued movement of the link will draw the door forcibly into its closed position.

Because of the arrangement of the spring imline position so that rebound forces against roller 38 are exerted in a straight line to the fixed trunnions and are thereby restrained.

It should be understood that path 4I of roller 38 is a resultant of the arcuate travel of the free end of the link and the shape of arcuate slot 40, and that other desired paths may be obtained by altering one or the other of these factors.

It will be apparent that the arrangement of parts herein described provides a self-cooking latch mechanism in which the available latching force is amplified in a manner to forcibly draw-in a refrigerator door to a fully closed air-tight condition. Another characteristic of the latch is its ability to restrain rebound forces in a manner to positively prevent the door from bouncing open when swung to a closed position. It is to be noted also that these characteristics are accompanied by simplicity of construction, ease of operation and prompt actuation and that the mechanism is of study, compact and inexpensive construction.

It will be understood further that the mechanism herein described and shown, including the configuration of the `several parts thereof, is illustrative only of the inventive principles involved.' and that these principles are capable of other physical embodiments within the scope of the claims without departing from the invention.

I claim:

A 1. In a latch mechanism for latching a door with a tlxed structure, a latching bolt mounted on the door and bodily movable on the door in a direction generally normal to the plane .of the bolt-retaining surface of a keeper on said structure and between a retracted latching position in engagement with said bolt-retaining surface and an unlatched position projected toward said structure with respect to said latched position, a spring for retracting said bolt, means for guiding one end of said bolt into a position behind and in engagement with the bolt-retaining surface of said keeper upon initiation of the said bodily movement from the unlatched to the latched position whereby completion of said movement may eifect a forcible drawing of the door into the closed position, said guide means including a lever pivotally connected to the other end of said bolt and having a dead center relation with the spring when said bolt is in unlatched position and with said bolt when said bolt is in latched position so as to releasably lock ,said bolt in the respective positions, and a handle attached to said lever for moving said bolt against the action of said spring into the said unlatched position.

2. In a latch mechanism for latching a door witha xed structure, a latching bolt mounted on the door and bodily movable on the door in a direction generally normal to the plane of the bolt-retaining surface of a keeper on said structure and between a retracted latching position in engagement with said bolt-retaining surface and an unlatched position projected toward said structure with respect to'said latched position. a

spring exerting pressure on said bolt tending to move the latter to said latched position, and means for guiding one end of said bolt into a position behind and in engagement with the boltretaining surface of said keeper upon initiation of the said'bodily movement of said bolt from the unlatched to the latched position and operable during continued movement of said bolt to latched position following engagement thereof with said bolt-retaining surface of said keeper to effect a forcible drawing of the door into the closed position, said guiding means including a lever pivotally connected to the door and to the other end f said bolt and having a dead center relation with said bolt when the latter occupies the fully latched position to thereby releasably lock said bolt in said position.

3. In a latch mechanism for latching a door with a ilxed structure, a latching bolt mounted on the door and bodily movable on the door in a direction generally normal to the plane of the bolt-retaining surface `of a keeper on said structure and between a retracted latchingposition in engagement with said bolt-retaining surface and an unlatched position projected toward said structure with respect to said latched position,.

a spring exerting pressure on said bolt tending to moveA the latter to said latched position, and means for guiding one end of said bolt into a position behind and in engagement with the boltretaining surface of said keeper upon'initiation of the said bodily movement of said bolt from the unlatched to the latched position and operable during continued movement of said bolt to latched position. following engagement thereof withthe bolt-retaining surface of said keeper'to enect ya forcible drawing of the ldoor into the closed position, said guiding means including a lever pivotally connected to the door and to the other'end of said bolt and having a 'dead center relation with the spring when said bolt occupies the fully unlatched position to thereby releasably lock said bolt in said position, and a handle element attached to said lever for moving said bolt Y against action of said spring from the latched position' into the said unlatched position.

4. In a latch mechanism for latching a door with a fixed structure, a latching bolt mounted on the door and bodily movable onl the door in a direction generally normal to the plane ofthe bolt-retaining surface of a keeper on said structure and between a retracted latching position in engagement with said bolt-retaining surface and an-.unlatched position projected toward said structure with respect to said latched position.

a spring exerting pressure on said bolt tending to move the latter to said latched position, a lever pivotally connected to one end of said bolt and having a dead center relation with said bolt when the latter is in said latched position so as to releasably -lock said bolt 1n said latched position. and means on the door engaging said bolt and coacting with the lever to guide the other end of said bolt into a position behind and in engagement with the bolt-retaining surface of said keeper upon initiation of said bodily movement of said boltfrom the unlatched to said latched position and operable during continued movement of said bolt to latchedposition following engagement thereof with the bolt-retaining surface of said keeper to eifect'a forcible drawing of the door into the closed position.

` 5.*1n a latch mechanism for latching a door with a xed structure, a.latchingbo1t mounted 0n the door and bodily movable on the door in a direction generally normal to the plane of the bolt-retaining surface of a keeper on said structure and between a retracted latching position in engagement with said bolt-retaining surface and an unlatched position projected toward said structure with respect to said latched position, a spring exerting pressure on said bolt tending to move the latter to said latched position, a lever pivotally connected to one end of said bolt and having a dead center relation with the spring when said bolt is in said unlatched position so as to releasably lock said bolt in the unlatched position. means on the door engaging said bolt and coacting with the lever to guide the other end of said bolt into a position behind and in engagement with the bolt-retaining surface of said keeper upon initiation of said bodily movement of said bolt from the unlatched to the latched position and operable during continued movement of said bolt to latched position following engagement thereofwith said keeper' to effect a forcible drawing of the door into the closed position, and a handle element connected to said lever for moving said bolt against the action of said spring from the latched position to the said unlatched position. f

6. In a latch mechanism for latching a door with a fixed structure, a latching bolt mounted on the door and bodily movable on the door in a direction generally normal to the plane of the bolt-retaining surface of a keeper on said structure and between a retracted latching position in engagement with the said bolt-retaining surface and an unlatched position projected vtoward said structure with respect to said latched position, a spring exerting pressure on said bolt tending to move the latter to said latched position, a lever pivotally connected to one end of said bolt f and having a dead center relation with said bolt when the latterk is in said latched position and with the spring when said bolt is in said unlatched position so as to releasably lock said bolt in the respective positions, and a pin on the door and engaging a slot in said bolt and coacting with. the lever to guide the other end of said bolt into a. position behind and in engagement with the boltretaining surface of said keeper upon initiation of said bodily movement of said bolt from the unlatched to the latched position and operable during continued movement .of said bolt to latched position following engagement thereof with the keeper to effect a forcible drawing of the door into j the closed position. and a handle attached to said lever for moving said bolt against the action of said spring into the said unlatched position.

GEORGE E. CURTISS, Jn.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name vDate Gilbert Mar. 24, 1925 Rogers Feb. 23, 1926 Ekman Au 23, 1932 Anderson No 15. 1938 Number Curtiss, Jr., et al. Jan. 19, 1943 Burke Feb. 22, 1944 Nave Nov. 28, 1939 

